Thin-Legged Wolf Spider - (Pardosa spp.)

Diverse Thin-Legged Wolf Spiders are bold enough to look right back at people who stare at them.

Staff Writer (2/2/2017): This genus of wolf spiders can be found throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. They are dark and can have striped, speckles or bands. They have long, spines on their legs and are covered with hair themselves.

The eyes of this type of spider reflect light at night in the same way a deer or cat's eyes do. Shining a flashlight at one will demonstrate this effect (see photo).

Thin-legged Wolf Spiders are active hunters and maintain a territory. They do not build web shelters for themselves; instead, they roam, day or night, for prey. They have been seen soaking in sunlight to keep warm as this allows them to move faster.

A female will spin a cocoon out of her silk and drag it behind her, filled with eggs. The greenish color fades to gray as it ages and spiderlings emerge and are carried on the females back until maturity.

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Details of the:
Thin-Legged Wolf Spider

Category: Spider
Common name: Thin-Legged Wolf Spider
Scientific Name: Pardosa spp.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Arachnida

Order: Araneae

Family: Lycosidae

Genus: Pardosa

Species: spp.

Size (Adult, Length): 3mm to 10mm (0.12in to 0.39in)

Identifying Colors: black, gray, white

Additional Descriptors: hairy, black, mottled, biting, venomous

North American Reach (Though Not Limited To*): Alabama; Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhose Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Vermont; Virginia; Washington; West Virginia; Wisconsin; Wyoming; Alberta; British Columbia; Manitoba; New Brunswick; Newfoundland and Labrador; Nova Scotia; Ontario; Prince Edward Island; Quebec; Sasketchewan

* Keep in mind that an insect's reach is not limited by lines on a map and therefore may appear in areas/regions/states beyond those listed above.

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